Former New York City Police Department Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Impersonating ICE Official

 

Defendant Posed as ICE Director to Threaten Victim with Deportation

Former New York City Police Department (NYPD) Sergeant Atickul Islam, also known as “James W. Anderson,” pled guilty to false impersonation of an officer of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 912. Islam was charged after he falsely claimed to be a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official and directed a female victim and her family to turn themselves in at an ICE office or face “legal action” and “enforcement measures.” 

The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry.  As part of his guilty plea, Islam was required to resign from the NYPD—which he did on September 25, 2026—and cannot apply to another position with the NYPD, or any law enforcement agency, at any time.  When sentenced, Islam faces a maximum of three years’ imprisonment. 

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea. 

“Instead of upholding the law and serving members of his community, Atickul Islam used lies and the threat of deportation to take revenge on a woman in his personal life,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “We expect law enforcement officers of every rank to act with honesty and integrity. As demonstrated by this plea, our Office will not tolerate any officer who would use the threat of federal law enforcement to carry out a personal vendetta.”

“Atickul Islam's guilty plea shows that impersonating a federal officer is a serious crime that erodes public trust.  By using fake authority to target and intimidate a victim for personal reasons, he betrayed that trust - and now faces the consequences,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. 

As set forth in court filings and during today’s plea proceeding, between March 22, 2025 and March 29, 2025, Islam sent the victim a series of text messages.  On March 29, 2025, he sent the victim a message in which he stated that her family would always “live poor”; threatened to call ICE to “come get” her and her family; and implied that he knew her location.  Approximately four hours after sending this message, Islam sent the victim another text message from an unknown number, claiming to be the Director of ICE’s New York Field Office.  In the message, the defendant told the victim that this was an “official notice” that she had been reported to ICE and that she and her family must report to an ICE office or face “further legal action and enforcement measures.”

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity and Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Sections.